Chrysanthemum Festival Sparks and the Thousand Sword Heroine's Fury (3)
The Double Ninth Festival holds the ninth day of the ninth lunar month in the highest regard. The reason it's considered so special under the name Chongyang Festival stems from a legend tied to that very day.
"There was a man named Jeongbang in a certain village, and one day a man named Hwangeon visited him, warning that disaster would strike the village on the ninth day of the ninth month. He told Jeongbang to put mugwort flowers in pouches, hang them on his arms, and take his whole family up to the mountaintop. That's where the custom comes from. So we treat the ninth day of the ninth lunar month with utmost importance."
"Is drinking chrysanthemum wine on the Double Ninth Festival for the same reason?"
"According to the legend, Jeongbang led his family up the mountain, drank chrysanthemum wine, and enjoyed themselves. When they came down, all the livestock in the house had died. That's how the tradition of ascending mountains began. People also fry chrysanthemum pancakes or eat flower porridge."
Baek Su-gyeong explained as he used his chopsticks to tear a chrysanthemum pancake into small pieces.
The drinking table was laid out with flower porridge, chrysanthemum wine, and chrysanthemum pancakes. Flanking Baek Su-gyeong on either side sat So Ssaang-a and Namgung Som-in.
Pretending to listen intently to Baek Su-gyeong's story as he tore the pancake, the two women were acutely aware of each other.
The Jade Sword Flower of the Namgung family...
The merchant guild leader who's shared a deep bond with the teacher from the start...
Their starting points were worlds apart. With Baek Su-gyeong caught in the middle, their affections for him were bound to clash.
So Ssaang-a sensed a threat from Namgung Som-in.
She's someone who can do what I can't.
No matter how much So Ssaang-a soared as the head of the rising Gyeongun Merchant Group, she hadn't trained in martial arts. In that sense, she was like Baek Su-gyeong, but it also meant she couldn't protect him with her own strength—a glaring weakness.
Namgung Som-in, on the other hand, was born into a murim clan. She bore the epithets Jade Sword Flower and Thousand Thread Maiden, strong and beautiful in equal measure. Her golden eyes, infused with the power of the Heavenly Thunder Emperor Divine Art, gleamed alongside her lustrous black hair that seemed woven from the night sky's silk, all harmonizing with her pale skin to create a violently captivating beauty.
And I...
In contrast, So Ssaang-a had little to boast of beyond her role as leader of the burgeoning Gyeongun Merchant Group. Her looks were ordinary, her talents unremarkable. She might have some business acumen as a merchant, but as a non-martial artist, she could offer Baek Su-gyeong no protection whatsoever.
The emotion that welled up in So Ssaang-a as she gazed at Namgung Som-in was singular: inferiority.
"Guild Leader So. Lady Namgung. If you have something to say, it might be best to lay your hearts bare to each other."
Baek Su-gyeong wasn't oblivious. The problem was his tendency to deny uncomfortable realities rather than accept them outright.
He knew the glances passing between the two marked each other as romantic rivals. He just never imagined himself as the object of their contention.
"Teacher."
"My lord."
"It's the Double Ninth Festival, enjoyed by all. Shouldn't we just savor the festivities?"
With those words, Baek Su-gyeong lifted his cup of chrysanthemum wine. His gaze fell on the black-clad woman seated directly across from him at the table.
"Lady Gal has been silent since we sat down."
"I simply have nothing to say. I'm here solely on my father's orders, after all."
"Your expression says otherwise."
At Baek Su-gyeong's remark, the black-clad woman set down her cup and spoke. Her voice was icy.
"To be frank, I don't acknowledge you. I can't fathom why the others at headquarters hold you in such high esteem."
"Is that so? Wise of you."
Baek Su-gyeong replied with a calm face. It was the red-haired black-clad woman, Gal Ye-ryeong, whose expression shifted instead.
"Doesn't that bother you?"
"What can I do if it's the truth? Whether others overrate me or not, that's their business. I'm just Baek Su-gyeong the writer. Not Baek Su-gyeong the murim warrior."
Pour...
As Baek Su-gyeong refilled his cup with chrysanthemum wine, Namgung Som-in's face twitched slightly, while So Ssaang-a openly glared at Gal Ye-ryeong with clear displeasure.
"How dare you!"
"What insolence toward my lord!"
"Hmph, if he's fine with it, why are you two jumping in? What, got a crush on the guy or something?"
At Gal Ye-ryeong's mocking words, Namgung Som-in's face flushed as if from drink, and So Ssaang-a's cheeks burned just as visibly.
"Th-that's...!"
"I just couldn't stand the insult to my teacher!"
"That's a pretty hot reaction for just that~. Did I hit a nerve?"
Gal Ye-ryeong teased them with a sly grin. Baek Su-gyeong cut through the women's verbal sparring.
"Enough, all three of you. You don't want to cause a scene in such a crowded place, do you?"
"Teacher!"
"My lord."
"Hmph, I had no such intention. This seems like a good time to relay my father, the Dark King Society Leader's, message."
Gal Ye-ryeong looked up at Baek Su-gyeong.
"Father wants to maintain good relations with you, Teacher Baek. You needn't involve yourself in improving ties with Shaolin. In exchange..."
"In exchange?"
"He wants you to keep me by your side."
A faint crack appeared on Baek Su-gyeong's forehead.
"So, surveillance?"
"Who knows? Depends on how you see it, Teacher Baek. Surrounded by three beauties in a life of luxury—others would envy you."
Shameless. Baek Su-gyeong thought it sincerely. A wry smile tugged at his lips as he held his cup.
"Regrettably, I'm not well-off enough to keep Lady Gal around."
"Oh, that doesn't matter."
Gal Ye-ryeong covered her mouth with a laugh.
"I've already secured a place to live in Wuan, with Father's permission. All Teacher Baek needs to do is show up."
At her words, Namgung Som-in and So Ssaang-a's eyes sharpened.
That thieving cat...!
Lady Namgung is handful enough, and now this woman too!
Hmph, she's just scheming because snagging Teacher Baek will pay off big in the future.
The three women's gazes clashed fiercely in the air. Amid it all, Baek Su-gyeong wore a hollow smile.
I'm screwed.
Yeah, he was totally screwed. With that thought, Baek Su-gyeong tilted his cup.
Peace in this murim world had sailed far away long ago.
"Haha, what a mess."
Baek Su-gyeong's sigh-tinged mutter drifted between the fireworks bursting over Luoyang's taverns.
Crack!
The main gate of the Gu Ryong Stronghold shattered, and the bandits guarding it were sliced down, their corpses rolling across the ground. As over a dozen bandits tumbled, Bang Soran strode through their midst with elegant poise.
Blood dripped from the sword in her hand.
"Where's Jang Yu?"
Her voice was so chilling, one might believe demons lurked within it. It was no wonder the bandits who rushed out at the sound of the gate's destruction froze in terror.
The killing intent radiating from the Thousand Sword Heroine Bang Soran was that potent and terrifying. It clung like sticky mire, binding their ankles and bodies. A master's killing intent beyond mere skill could restrict a person's very movements.
Bang Soran had reached such a realm.
"I asked where Jang Yu is."
"You think we'll tell you? Attack!!"
At the bellow of the hulking vice-leader, sharp whistles pierced the air as arrows riddled the sky.
Clang!
Bang Soran's sword cleaved an arrow aimed at her in half, ringing with a clear metallic tone. The bisected arrow shattered into fragments that scattered in the wind, even as the bandits surrounding her charged with roars.
"I have no need for small fry."
Slash.
It seemed like a single swing, yet dozens of sword gleams ravaged the air, painting the sky with the blood of the bandits who had engulfed her. Chests rent open, arms severed, waists bisected, legs flown off—casualties mounted, leaving them combat-ineffective.
Belated screams echoed through the stronghold.
"Arghhh!"
"My arm! My arm!"
"My leg—my leg!! Arghhhh!"
Bang Soran dropped her pristine sword, untouched by a drop of blood, and spoke coldly. Her voice flowed like an icy river.
"I said I have no need for small fry."
"My men may be dumb, but they didn't deserve to lose limbs."
Bang Soran's eyes twisted savagely as she turned toward the source of the sneering voice.
"Jang Yu!"
"Whoa, stay back. Unless you want to see your precious disciple's head roll."
Jang Yu stood with the Gu Ryong Stronghold's elite guards—his personal retinue—sword pressed to So Seon-ha's throat as he looked down at her.
Bang Soran had felled dozens, yet still over a dozen bandits remained, arrayed in formation.
"When did you rebuild your forces like this?!"
"Does that matter? What about your disciple's life?"
"Kuh...!"
His ploy to shift the topic and distract her failed. Bang Soran gripped her sword tighter.
What should I do?
With So Seon-ha captured, she couldn't unleash her full martial prowess. Fury boiled like magma within her, yet she had no outlet.
What to do...!
Jang Yu smirked at Bang Soran's frozen, distraught expression. His plan had worked perfectly. This revenge, plotted since hearing three years ago that she'd taken a disciple, had timed her return perfectly.
Normally, even holding the child hostage would buy time since she'd be far away. Capturing her exhausted would have been revenge too, but his wounded pride demanded more.
"Remember this scar?"
Jang Yu traced the diagonal gash across his forehead.
"You, Bang Soran, showed 'mercy' by slashing my brow. When I charged again, you cut off my manhood."
"That was...!"
"Is that what you righteous faction fools call mercy?!"
Rage thickened Jang Yu's voice.
"Thanks to you, I can't even hold a woman anymore! So I waited. For something more precious to you than life itself!"
"...!!"
"And you got a disciple. You, who I thought would never take one! I was certain—if I targeted this brat, you'd fall right into my trap!"
His face contorted in madness nearing insanity as Jang Yu burst into laughter.
"Want your precious disciple back?!"
"Give me Seon-ha!"
At the master's cry for her stolen pupil, Jang Yu leered disgustingly, licking his lips.
Cruel words slithered from his mouth.
"Then come here without harming a hair on my men's heads. The moment one of them gets scratched, your disciple dies."
"Th-that...!"
"Can't target me first either. Even if I die, you can't save her. These guys aren't here for show."
Jang Yu pointed to his guards with a grin. Madness flickered in his grotesquely twisted face.
"Beat my men and climb up here. Can you uphold that lofty righteous warrior bullshit all the way?!"
Jang Yu's mad laughter echoed.
"Come on, Bang Soran! Dance with blood spilling! My men won't hold back! Attack!"
"Yes, stronghold leader!"
At Jang Yu's command, all but a portion of his personal guard protecting him surged toward Bang Soran.
Facing the onrushing bandits, Bang Soran ground her teeth.
Seon-ha, I'll save you no matter what!
The master's gritted blade scattered brilliant sword light.